


Spiteful Thief

by LilHo



Category: Dororo (Anime 2019), Dororo (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Ending, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Lemon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27835672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilHo/pseuds/LilHo
Summary: Dororo is not pleased when Hyakkimaru decides to return after seven years of no contact from him.
Relationships: Dororo & Hyakkimaru (Dororo)
Kudos: 14





	Spiteful Thief

**Author's Note:**

> This contains sexual content. Dororo is of age.

Hyakkimaru was stunned when he saw Dororo afar for the first time in seven years. He always thought she was pretty when he first saw her; now she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Her dark brown hair had grown to her waist and was tied with a green cloth. She still wore a brown ribbon tied around her neck. The green tattered robes were replaced with a yellow kimono and a sleeveless red haori. Her fuller cheeks and round chin complimented her tiny button nose and round onyx eyes. The natural shade of blush on her cheeks were cute when she broke out into a boisterous laugh while speaking to a merchant.

He missed her.

Hyakkimaru was certain he loved Dororo when she left his side after the fall of MaiMai’Onba. Trying to understand what it was to be human without her by his side made the journey feel useless after he regained his body. Nevertheless, he continued to persevere. He wanted to come back to Dororo knowing he wouldn’t risk putting her in danger.

“DORORO!” A tall man with dark hair tied into a messy ponytail entered the picture, and he slung his arms around the woman’s shoulders. He leaned too close, Hyakkimaru noted in distaste, to her face with a goofy grin.

Dororo’s eyes twitched and she immediately shoved him away. “Oi! What did I tell you about yelling in my ear, Jiheita? Geez, it’s like you want me to become deaf.”

Jiheita brushed off her comment and patted her head. “Come on, don’t be like that. Yahiko and I were waiting for you at the house for over an hour.”

“Ugh, shut up! It’s only been twenty minutes you liar!” She playfully shoved him by the shoulders and adjusted the basket of produce in her hands. She turned back to the merchant and bowed politely. “I’ll talk to you later Haru-san. Take care of yourself.”

Haru, the young merchant, smiled and waved her off. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dororo-san.”

Time itself stopped when Dororo and Jiheita slowly walked towards the bridge where Hyakkimaru stood, and Dororo dropped her basket in shock when she made eye contact with him. Time stopped for both Dororo and Hyakkimaru as they took in each other’s presence. All three were at an awkward standstill until Jiheita broke the silence, “Hey, you’re that guy that used to travel with Dororo right? Uhh…” He scratched the side of his head. “Hyakkimaru, right?”

Hyakkimaru nodded, gauging her reaction. Dororo gave Jiheita a small smile and patted his back. “Go on without me, I’ll see you guys in a bit.”

Jiheita frowned. “Alright.” He eyed Hyakkimaru warily and reluctantly nodded. “I’ll see you at home.” Jiheita brushed against Hyakkimaru’s shoulders roughly when he took his leave.

Hyakkimaru was temporarily disturbed by the man’s passive aggressive action until he realized the predicament he was in. Furthermore, Dororo staring at him with a blank expression wasn’t what Hyakkimaru expected after finally being reunited. In fact, the smile from her pretty face had completely disappeared and the brightness in her eyes dimmed when she saw him.

“Dororo,” Hyakkimaru said hesitantly, reaching out a hand to grasp her shoulders when she approached him. He flinched when she slapped his hand and glared in response.

“Don’t touch me!” Dororo snapped with a venomous tone. Her onyx eyes peered at him with a deep disdain.

Hyakkimaru swallowed the lump in his throat. Everything about this situation was not what he envisioned. He was hoping that he would be able to return to Dororo with welcomed and loving arms after pursuing his soul-searching journey. “Please, Dororo,” he said softly, “Hear me out.” He desperately wanted to reach out to caress her soft face once more with his real hands.

“Of course, I’ll hear you out _Aniki._ After all, it’s been so long since I’ve _seen_ or _heard_ anything from you.” Dororo sneered at Hyakkimaru, jabbing a finger at his chest.

Hyakkimaru opened his mouth—

“After all, I know you would _never_ leave me without saying _goodbye_ at least.”

—and promptly closed it.

He had no excuse. Dororo was in the right to be angry. She had definitely deserved a farewell and a reason as to why he had to leave her behind. Dororo was the one who initially helped him during his journey and gave him a sense of normality in what it was like to be a human. Hyakkimaru watched as Dororo clenched and unclenched her fists while seething in rage. 

“I’m sorry, Dororo. I should have told you why I had to leave,” he mumbled, stepping forward. “You must have thought that I abandoned you, but I only left to protect you.” Once more, he reached out to stroke her face and rubbed his calloused thumb against her cheeks. Dororo’s eyes widened and she froze in shock from his sudden touch. Hyakkimaru wanted to press his lips against her but chose to be content with the touch of her skin. Taking her momentarily silence as a good sign, Hyakkimaru was about to initiate a hug until Dororo abruptly thrusted the hilt of her hidden sword near his pelvis.

“It’ll do you some good to retract those hands of yours right now,” she stated threateningly. “I’m sure you have had plenty of time to discover that’s not a place you want wounded.”

Hyakkimaru yielded with a grimace.

Dororo stared at him once again with an unreadable expression and retracted her sheathed sword. She tucked the loose strands of dark her behind her ears. The wind was blowing against them while the sun beamed brightly upon their face. Dororo took another moment to study him and decided to pick up the basket of produce she dropped. “Hyakkimaru,” he recoiled at the lack of warmth, “May your journey be met with nothing but peace.” There was a biting undertone to her pleasant words. She stalked past him with her head held high.

* * *

After his first horrible interaction with Dororo, Hyakkimaru created a plan in order to gain Dororo’s trust back. At the very least, he could persuade her to actually sit and have a conversation with him. His first step was to learn more about her through the villagers without her knowledge. 

_“Oh Dororo? She’s a feisty woman! I don’t think that girl would ever settle down with Jiheita!”_

_“Dororo? She’s a beauty. We love her around here, but not as much as Jiheita!”_

_“Hah? Don’t even think about it. Someone already claimed her, and he’s been pining after her for seven years now. Plus, she’s way out of your league.”_

Hyakkimaru was simmering with jealousy by the end of the day after uncovering many rumors of Jiheita yearning for the same woman he sought out. He tried to contain the ugly green-eyed monster rearing its head around. He leaned over the wooden bridge’s rails and peered at the creep, remembering the first time he met Dororo at a bridge. He chuckled fondly at the memory of Dororo trailing after him even after seeing him completely annihilate a demon firsthand. He had a sinking feeling that nothing he could do would recover their relationship.

“Excuse me, but you’re Hyakkimaru-san right?” Hyakkimaru perked up at the mention of his name and gazed at the young man who called out to him. A fairly chubby man with a white bandana tied around his head greeted him with a generous grin. “Hey! You might not remember me, but I know you. My name is Yahiko. I’m one of Dororo’s friends, and I live with her.”

Hyakkimaru bristled at this newfound knowledge, but eagerly moved over for Yahiko to stand beside him. “About Dororo…I want to know more about her since I’ve been gone.”  
  


“I know. I wouldn’t be here talking to you if I didn’t know otherwise.” Yahiko snorted and shook his head at the incredulous look Hyakkimaru gave him. “Listen. Word gets around this village pretty quickly, _especially_ when Dororo is the topic.”

“Tell me more about her.” He briefly paused and then added, “Anything that doesn’t involve Jiheita.”

“Jiheita? Those two have nothing going on, if that’s what you’re worried about. Nothing but rumors.” Yahiko could see the tension leave Hyakkimaru’s body from that information and casually commented, “But she does have a lot of pursuers.”

Hyakkimaru folded his arms across his chest and scowled.

“Where do I even begin?” Yahiko scratched the back of scalp and hummed in thought. He then pressed a hand to his chin and closed his eyes, contemplating. “Dororo’s done a lot of things since you left. She’s made a large economic impact on this village by sharing her wealth. Thanks to that, samurais were slowly starting to lose their influences on us because trade work in exchange for currency heavily refined this land. I guess you can say she’s kind of our leader right now.”

“Leader?”  
  


“Yeah. Everyone looks up to her and seeks out her assistance when they need it. Dororo established a small council for this village and delegates the duties accordingly to meet the needs of our folks. I think a lot of us would be lost if she wasn’t here.”

Hyakkimaru was amazed by the growth of Dororo and saddened that he was not there to physically support her. He had one last question for Yahiko. “Does she hate me?”  
  


“Yeah, a little bit.” Yahiko pushed himself off the rail and straightened his posture. He beamed at Hyakkimaru and gave him a solid pat. “Don’t worry though. She’ll come around eventually if you prove yourself to her. It’ll take some time.”

“Time?”

Yahiko rolled his eyes playfully. “Forgiveness takes time. You can’t expect her to forgive you so easily for abandoning her without a single word.” Hyakkimaru winced at the blunt statement. “Trust me. Be patient if you want to get her to talk to you. Anyways, I need to head out before she and Jiheita kills me. I should have been home by now. I’ll see you around, Hyakkimaru-san.”

“Thank you,” Hyakkimaru called out.

Yahiko waved in acknowledgement and jogged down the road, leaving Hyakkimaru to his own thoughts once again.

* * *

Agitated.

Dororo felt agitation seep through her veins the next couple of days as Hyakkimaru silently tailed behind her. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes and clicked her tongue in distaste. No matter how many times she had tried to ditch him, he still followed her and refused to leave until she would speak to him. She felt herself growing emotionally tired from trying to not lash out at him in front of her villagers. All of the pent-up frustration was beginning to show when she heard the whispers of a “handsome samurai following Dororo-sama.”

“You should talk to him,” Jiheita said, with his arms slung around her shoulders. The taller man glanced back at Hyakkimaru’s blank expression directed towards him and then to Dororo. “It’s been four days now and you still haven’t said a word to him.”

“No. He’ll get the message eventually,” Dororo muttered.

He scoffed. “Come on Dororo. You waited for him to come back for years, and now that he’s here, you don’t want to even speak to him.”

“Well he didn’t bother to send me at least one letter or even visit me in the last seven years. What do you expect from me?” She retorted effortlessly and pouted.  
  


“I expect you to act like the leader you are. If someone else was going through this situation, I know you would tell them to give the person a chance and hear them out.”

Dororo was quiet for a moment, considering Jiheita’s words and groaned in frustration. “Ugh, I hate it when you’re right.”

“I know. That’s why I’m your right-hand man.” Jiheita removed his hands and patted her head affectionately. “Now go talk to him. I’ll take care of the meeting with the council.”

“But—”

  
“You need to take a break from the council. Missing out on one meeting won’t kill you. You need to learn more about how to balance your personal life with work.” Jiheita smirked at her flabbergasted expression. “Go. Take care of your business. I’ll see you at home.”

Dororo resisted the urge to slap Jiheita upside the head but eventually caved. She waved Jiheita off and took a deep breath before turning around. At the end of the street, she could see Hyakkimaru standing patiently to the side watching her every move. They made eye contact, and she almost flushed with a sense of embarrassment when Hyakkimaru smiled warmly at her. Hyakkimaru gradually approached Dororo when she made no effort to move from her spot.   
  
“I want to talk to you, Dororo.”

Dororo pressed her lips in a thin line and tried not to focus on the fact that he was still taller than her and now had more lean muscles that peeked from under his scraggly yukata. She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. She couldn’t be distracted.

“Fine. You win. Let’s talk.”

Hyakkimaru practically beamed with joy from her response. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, dragging her out of the streets to somewhere private. There were murmurs being exchanged as the villagers witnessed this scene, causing Dororo to become mortified. “Hey, what did I tell you about touching me!”

Her words fell deaf on his ears. He pulled her into the small stable. She was ready to lecture him but gasped when Hyakkimaru abruptly embraced her tightly. Dororo flushed a deep shade of red. “W-what are you doing! I said we can talk, n-not do this!” She shoved him away, heaving deeply in embarrassment. The anger dissipated when he radiated nothing but genuine happiness.

“Dororo.” She flinched at the way her name rolled off his tongue so effortlessly. Hyakkimaru crowded her against the wooden stable’s wall, forcing Dororo to tilt her head back, staring up into his handsome face. Her breath hitched when he braced one forearm beside her head and grabbed her wrist, pressing her palm against the center of his chest. “I should have said something before I left you here. I could have visited you once in a while, but I was afraid I would only hurt you. You’re right to be mad at me and never forgive me.”

A grimace bloomed across her mouth, her big eyes dazzling and bright with tears brimming. “You’re an idiot,” Dororo said exasperatedly. 

“I’m sorry.”  
  


“You should be sorry.”

“I wanted to protect you.”

“I know.”

“I love you, Dororo.”

“I know,” she murmured, her protective walls crumbling fast. She was melting into his embrace and the drowning in the pools of his rich mahogany eyes. The hand on his chest gripped his yukata and she wrapped her other hand behind his neck and tugged him down to press her lips against his. Hyakkimaru’s eyes widened in shock at the feel of her warm lips, but he closed his eyes and deepened the kiss. He pressed her back against the stable’s walls and pried the entrance of her lips with his tongue; Dororo moaned in pleasure and barely put up a fight.

The corner of his lips curved upwards as Dororo desperately began to yank the fabric of his yukata off his torso. He pressed a knee upward into the crevice between her legs, rubbing teasingly against her. “Hnn, Hyakkimaru!” She broke apart from his kiss and threw her head back, giving him access to lean down and latched his mouth on her pale nape. 

There were no other words exchanged between them besides moans and grunts of pleasure escaping their mouth. She switched positions and flipped him against the wall. Hyakkimaru stiffened in anticipation when Dororo kneeled on the hay and looked up at him with lust filled eyes. She grasped his thick girth gently with her hands and began pumping him slowly, gauging his reaction. A low groan escaped from him when she decided to take him in between her wet lips. He ran his fingers through her silky locks as she caressed his shaft with her moist tongue.

“Doro—hng!” His breath was caught in his throat when Dororo abruptly pulled her wet heat away and smiled at him teasingly.

“I think we should stop right here before we get carried away.” Dororo pulled her yukata over her shoulders and chortled at Hyakkimaru’s shocked expression; his eyes were widened and jar agape at the realization that he was baited by the love of his life. The former thief could only giggle in mischief. “It takes a lot more than saying I love you for me to put myself out completely.”

Hyakkimaru furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips in frustration. He began to tie his yukata back in place reluctantly, uncomfortable at the state of hardness she left him in. However, displeased was the further emotion he had felt towards her. He mumbled with a sigh, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I…just wanted to be with you no matter what.” 

“I know, “ Dororo cheekily retorted. She flipped her hair over shoulder haughtily but Hyakkimaru caught the gentle curve of her lips that accompanied the warmth in her eyes when she looked at him. “You’re going to have to work harder if you want me.”

“As long as there’s a chance, I’ll do anything to be with you.”

Silence passed between them as Dororo contemplated his words carefully. She extended her hand out to press a palm against his cheek. Her tender caresses were nothing but faint pressure on his skin, but they still made his foggy. Yet his chest exploded in excitement when she then kissed him with a fond gentleness and mumbled, “I’ll be waiting.”

Understanding the circumstances they had faced, their problems, the implications, he decided to focus on the chaste kiss. Hyakkimaru was determined to cherish this moment because Dororo would always be worth fighting for and chasing after.


End file.
